Features of material surfaces affecting virus adhesion as determined by nanoscopic quantification

Abstract

The transmission of foodborne viral gastroenteritis is associated with virus adhesion on food-contact surfaces. In this work, we aimed to identify the key features of a contact surface material that invoke preferential virus adhesion via nanoscopic and quantitative measurements by atomic force microscopy (AFM) on the nano-Newton level. The adhesion strength of MS2 (a virus surrogate) on the surfaces of glass, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) was measured; in a neutral (pH 7) aqueous environment, positively charged, hydrophobic surfaces demonstrated stronger interactions. The strength of MS2 adhesion was twice higher on porous than non-porous surfaces. High-resolution imaging of MS2-inoculated PVC surfaces revealed that the 60−80 nm wide and 20−30 nm deep pores on PVC acted as nano-containers to retain and trap the virions, resulting in eight times faster adsorption and longer term retention of MS2 in the porous areas than in the smooth areas of the same substrate. Thus, in addition to choosing a material with low chemical affinity to virus particles, tailoring a material’s physical features with respect to a virion’s dimension can be an alternative way to reduce/interfere virus adhesion.